Peak Powerhouses
The second landmark event was the massacre in Bright Capital by the Death God Envoy.
Bright Capital the capital of the Sun Moon Empire and one of the most densely populated cities on the continent at that time.
The Holy Spirit Cult dispatched Elder "Death God Envoy," a Titled Douluo- level Evil Soul Master reveled in killing, to orchestrate a large-scale massacre in Bright Capital, reaping thousands of lives in one fell swoop.
The purpose of this massacre was not only to collect souls, but more importantly, to open a spatial passage connecting to the Evil Demon Forest.
The Evil Demon Forest is an extremely dangerous forbidden area, inhabited by a large number of evil Soul Beast and undead creatures, from which the Holy Spirit Cult seeks to draw more power.
Although Huo Yuhao and the others arrived in time to disrupt the opening of the passage, the Bright Capital massacre itself had already declared a fact to the entire continent.
The Holy Spirit Cult is not only still alive, but also capable of launching large-scale attacks in the heart of the Sun Moon Empire.
This is the official declaration of the Holy Spirit Cult stepping from the underground to the forefront.
Shrek Academy.
Ma Xiaotao leaned against the wall of the Inner Court training room, having just completed a set of high-intensity training, her whole body drenched in sweat.
She's been putting in extra training every day lately, doubling her usual amount, ever since she read about Huo Yuhao's attitude towards Xu Yunhan in his diary.
She had a pent-up energy inside her, she couldn't quite put her finger on whether it was anger or something else, and she could only process it through training.
Then the diary was updated.
She read that her name appeared in the history of the Holy Spirit Cult.
"The Holy Maiden? Why are you mentioning me again...?"
When Ma Xiaotao read those two words, the corner of her mouth twitched, as if she wanted to curse but didn't know who to curse.
She did indeed become a saint of the Holy Spirit Cult in the future; that is undeniable.
She read on and read that Huo Yuhao had saved her.
"It's Huo Yuhao again."
Ma Xiaotao wrung the towel out tightly; her feelings towards Huo Yuhao were very complicated.
She was grateful when she read about him establishing the Spirit Pagoda and ending the blood feud between humans and beasts; she wanted to slap him when she read about him neglecting his own son; and now she read about him saving her.
How could her opinion of someone change so drastically in just a few days? She couldn't even define her current attitude towards Huo Yuhao —was she grateful to him for saving her?
I'm furious that he treated his own son like that?
Both things are true; one cannot offset the other.
"Alright, he saved me, I remember."
I also remember the scumbag things he did to his son."
She slammed the towel against the back of the chair, as if challenging someone. "When I run into Xu Yunhan someday, I'll repay this favor. Nothing else matters."
The third key moment, and also the turning point for the Holy Spirit Cult to reach the pinnacle of power, was its cooperation with Xu Tianran, the crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire.
Xu Tianran was a core member of the Sun Moon Imperial Family, but due to his physical disability—histances are recorded in historical records as being unable to walk—he was at a disadvantage in the power struggles within the Imperial Family.
All the healthy princes were vying for the throne, and no one paid any attention to the crippled crown prince.
But Xu Tianran's ambition burned even brighter precisely because he was looked down upon; he not only wanted to be emperor, but the greatest emperor in ten thousand years.
In order to consolidate his power, Xu Tianran took the initiative to seek out the Holy Spirit Cult.
The two sides established a cooperative relationship: the Holy Spirit Cult supported Xu Tianran in eliminating dissidents, and Xu Tianran promised to provide the Holy Spirit Cult with official protection and war support after ascending to the throne.
For the Holy Spirit Cult, this means that they can "legally" collect souls on the battlefield under the cover of the Sun Moon Empire's army, instead of secretly carrying out small-scale massacres as before, and can take advantage of the national war to reap large-scale harvests.
For Xu Tianran, this meant he now possessed a powerful armed force that belonged to no faction and obeyed only his personal orders, as well as a group of skilled individuals who could handle the dirty work for him.
The collaboration quickly yielded results.
With the help of the Holy Spirit Cult, Xu Tianran launched a coup, known in history as the "Bright Capital Incident," in which he poisoned his father, eliminated all his brothers who opposed him, and ascended the throne in one fell swoop.
The first thing he did after ascending the throne was to declare the Holy Spirit Cult as the state religion of the Sun Moon Empire.
A cult that uses the devouring of souls as a means of cultivation was officially designated as the state religion by the emperor of a top empire on the continent, enjoying official recognition and a supreme status.
This is the most glorious moment in the 10,000-year history of the Holy Spirit Cult.
A former rat hunted across the entire continent can now freely enter and exit the imperial palace in magnificent robes, preside over sacrificial ceremonies in front of the entire court, and spread his doctrines in broad daylight.
Those who once attacked the Holy Spirit Cult are now either dead or have become nominally "heretics" within the Holy Spirit Cult.
The magnitude of this reversal is unprecedented in the entire history of the Douluo Continent.
[The core leadership of the Holy Spirit Cult also reached its zenith during this period.]
First is Ye Xishui, the Supreme Master of the Cult, Ultimate Douluo, and possessing the Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul.
She was the strongest known Evil Soul Master at the time, without exception.
The direct cause of her fall into evil was revenge and obsession. The person she deeply loved was Long Xiaoyao, and the emotional entanglement between the two spanned a long period of time.
This story is a long one, but in short, it's a cruel twist of fate that led two strong individuals who should have been together down completely opposite paths.
Ye Xishui chose the evil path, fusing her Dark Sacred Dragon Martial Soul and the Evil Soul Master's techniques to their extreme, bringing her strength close to the threshold of Divine-level.
Within the Holy Spirit Cult, her status was extraordinary; even the cult leader treated her with utmost respect.
[The sect leader, Zhongli Wu, possesses Bone Dragon Martial Soul, an extremely rare mutated dragon-type Martial Soul that, when combined with the techniques of the Evil Soul Master, can unleash terrifying combat power.]
Zhongli Wu and Ye Xishui worked in close coordination, one in charge of academic affairs and the other in maintaining order; they cooperated remarkably well.
[Feng Ling, Super Douluo, is also a formidable character. She is not only Yan Shaozhe's lover but also one of the top leaders of the Holy Spirit Cult.]
The two saintly women were unparalleled in their time.
As mentioned before, Saintess Ma Xiaotao was rescued by Huo Yuhao and regained her senses.
And then there's Tang Ya, the Blue Silver Saintess, who was also rescued, so there's no need to say more about her.
Besides these core high-ranking members, the Holy Spirit Cult also has an Elders' Council, which houses many titled Douluo-level elders, such as Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, who form the backbone of the Holy Spirit Cult's high-level combat power.
Roughly estimated, the Holy Spirit Cult at its peak had at least twenty Titled Douluo and above, a number that surpasses that of most sects on the continent.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the Holy Spirit Cult the most powerful force on the continent during this period.
Aside from the Shrek Academy being able to contend with the Holy Spirit Cult, even the Sun Moon Empire was gradually surpassed by the Holy Spirit Cult in the later stages.
Had Xu Tianran lived longer, the Holy Spirit Cult would have definitely gradually eroded this vast empire.